The present invention relates generally to apparatus for automatic handling and orientation of hollow bodies from a storage hopper to a work station for filling, labeling or some other operation on the hollow bodies, and more particularly though not exclusively to the case where the hollow bodies are containers such as bottles having necks.
For example, when such bottles are to be filled at a filling station their necks must be directed upwards.
Generally speaking, the automatic handling and orientation apparatus for such bottles or other hollow bodies so oriented comprise a storage hopper in which the bottles or other hollow bodies are in random orientation, a plurality of conveyor channels each having a conveyor extending into the storage hopper, a plurality of drop chutes disposed in vertical alignment with the respective remote ends of the conveyor channels and a delivery conveyor disposed in vertical alignment with the drop chutes.
At the upper ends of each drop chute is provided in practice a selective bottle reversing device which turns around a bottle which has an incorrect orientation for dropping it in the correct orientation into the corresponding drop chute. On the contrary when such a bottle is in the desired orientation the selective bottle reversing device retracts and allows the bottle to fall down the drop chute without taking any further action.
When the hollow bodies being handled are bottles with necks the selective reversing device may comprise a pivoted swing member the opening defined by the swing member is adapted to receive the neck of a bottle when the bottle is advancing neck first into the drop chute, to turn the bottle around so that it falls bottom first into the corresponding drop chute. Accordingly all the hollow bodies received by the delivery conveyor are therefore all normally received on their bottoms before being transported to the filling or other work station.
Such an apparatus for automatic handling and orientation of bottles is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,776,346.
In the above-mentioned U.S. patent each of the drop chutes is provided with sensing means for detecting the prolonged presence of a bottle and is adapted to stop the conveyor of the corresponding conveyor channel. Thus when for any reason the drop chute is jammed the conveyor of the corresponding conveyor channel is automatically stopped thereby avoiding disrupting the operation of the entire apparatus.
Such an automatic handling and orientation apparatus has given and continues to give satisfaction; it does have the drawback of requiring the presence of person at all times to monitor operation. Indeed, various incidents may occur which can disrupt operation.
First, the selective reversing device may not operate properly and if the hollow bodies are bottles with necks, for example, the bottle will drop neck first onto the discharge conveyor. Since the neck first bottle on the discharge conveyor is inherently unstable it will fall over causing the entire apparatus to be shut down. Thus, such a minor operating incident in one of the drop chutes may have repercussions on the entire apparatus.
This also applies to handling plastic bottles which owing to a manufacturing defect may having a projecting spur or flash produced in the course of molding which may cause the defective bottle to topple thereby resulting in the stoppage of the entire apparatus.
It is also possible with such plastic bottles for a partially crushed bottle to have a transverse dimension sufficient to accidentally block the inlet or upper end of a drop chute thereby producing the jamming of the drop chute above the sensing means detecting the prolonged presence of bottles, which sensing means is usually provided at the bottom of the corresponding drop chute. In this case the conveyor in the conveyor channel continues to operate, despite the jamming of the corresponding drop chute, which may in turn cause total disruption of the apparatus.
Although such incidents are in practice relatively infrequent they do require the presence of a person to eliminate the defective bottle and start the apparatus up again, and this person must remain at the apparatus at all times even though he has to intervene rather infrequently.